Mail catching and delivering apparatus.



Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

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lllllll Lll APPLlCAlON FILED MAR. 3. |916.

MAIL CATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

vll/4e jIV Ve /A .|.v B. CARY.

MAIL CATCHING AND DELIVEHING APPARATUS.

APPLlcAnoN FILED MAR. 3. 191s.

,223,8520 Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

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JAMES B. CARY, OF MASON CITY, IOWA, ASSIG-NOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO CLAXTON W. LACY, 0F DES MOINES, IOWA, AND ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES J. RAFFENSPERGER, OF

VICTOR, IOWA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2a, 1917.

Application filed March 3, 1916. Serial No. 81,863.

To all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, JAMES B. CARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mason City, in the county of Cerro Gordo and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsl in Mail Catching and Delivering Apparatus; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My present invention is a novel improvement in mail delivery and receiving apparatus of the general type shown in my Patent No. 976,433 dated November 22, 1910; and the object of such invention is to enable the mail to be safely taken at the receiving point, and to be discharged safely automatically at the desired point; and the invention provides novel means for catching mail; novel means for discharging mail; novel means for operating the discharger by air pressure; novel tripping mechanism for tripping the discharging means; and various other novel minor details of construction and combination of parts, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings; so that others skilled inthe art will be able to construct and use the invention; and the essential features and combinations of parts for which protection is desired are summarized in the appended claims.

In said drawings Figure l is a detail sectional elevation of part of a mail car showing the receiving and discharging devices in elevation.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the air cylinder and connections for operating the discharger.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the air valve.

Fig. A is an enlarged detail view of part of the discharger operating devices.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional elevation of the discharging mechanism and catching devices.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional plan view of Fig. 6. y

Fig. 8 is a detail.

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view of the mail catcher.

The mail catching and delivering devices are adapted to be applied to an ordinary mail car, and are intended to be substantially duplicated at each side of the car, but a description of one set of such devices will suiiice to explain all.

In the accompanying drawings the car door l of ordinary construction is adapted to be normally held in closed position by means of a pivoted catch 2 engaging a lug la on the door, and held in normal engagement with the lug by means of a spring 2a, or other suitable device. The door is adapted to 'be opened, when released by the catch, by any suitablemeans, as for instance a cable or -chain lc attached to the door and to a spring actuated drum of an ordinary type contained in a casing ld attached to the inside of the car. Any preferred means for opening the door quickly when released may be employed.

Adjacent each side of the door opening and within the car are mounted vertically disposed preferably hollow shafts 3 may be supported at bottom on disks 3a preferably mounted by roller bearings upon bases 3b suitably bolted to the car floor. The upper end of each shaft 3 may be journaled in any bearings, as in brackets 3C, attached to the side of the car. Preferably each shaft 3 is provided on its upper end with a sprocket 3d rigidly attached thereto in any suitable manner and provided with a hub 8e on its upper end engaging bracket Se as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. I do not however restrict myself to any particular construction of said shafts or meansfor journaling same in place, the essential object being to provide a rotatable support for the mail discharger at each side of the door opening so that the discharger can be operated from either support.

The sprockets 3d on the adjacent shafts 3 which are engaged by a sprocket chain 3f (Fig. 4) the ends of which are connected to the opposite ends of a piston rod 4b extending through an air cylinder 4 (Fig. 2), a piston 4'nl being fast onthe rod within the cylinder, so that if the piston is moved in either. direction the chain will be shifted and consequently shafts 3 rotated.

The opposite ends of the cylinder 4k are connected by pipes 4c to one of the ports of a valve 4e, another part of .which connects with an air pipe 4i. The valve 4e has an intermediate vent port 4f, and said valve is operable by means of a valve lever 4g which depends below the cylinder 4 and lies adjacent the inner upper edge of the door 1. The valve 4e is preferably normally closed by means of a spring arranged in any suitable manner, a spring 4h being indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings for this purpose.

Venting valves 4d of any suitable construction may be interposed in the pipes 4c between the cylinder 4 and valve 4e, said valves 4d should be so constructed that either end of the cylinder 4 may be cut out of communication with valve 4e by closing the related valve 4d, and when such `communication is closed the corresponding end of the cylinder 4 is vented through .such valve 4d as in dicated in Fig. 2. Thus in the example illustrated in Fig. 2 when the valve 4e is opened air may be admitted from pipe 4i to the left hand endof the cylinder 4 so als to drive piston 4a to the right, and air may be simultaneously vented from the right hand of cylinder 4 through the valve 4d; but when the lever 4g returns to normal position closing valve 4e the left hand end of the cylinder is vented through the vent opening 4E in valve 4e, see Fig. 2. If thev left h and valve 49 was closed and the right hand valve 4d opened, then compressed air would b e admitted into the'right hand end of the cylinderI 4 when the valve 4e was opened.

The lever 4g as stated 'is adapted to be operated by means of a suitably constructed catch 1g on the door 1, which catch is arranged in position to engage lever 4g as the door opens and open the valve 4e. 0n the opening movement of the door catch 1g first engages lever 4S and opens the valves and then the door continues toopen and eventually disengages the valve whereupon the spring 4h immediately returns lever to normal position and closes thev valve 4e. Upon its return movement the catch 1g should pass the lever 4g in the position indicated in Fig. 1; for this purpose catch 1g may be provided with a pivoted dog 1h which will engage and move lever 4g forward when the door opens, but upon the return movement of the door the dog 11? will turn on its pivotv and pass under lever 4g and then return same to engaging position.

car floor. Thistank 5 may be connected by a pipe 5n with the usual storage tank of the air brake apparatus on the car. Preferably a valve 5C is placed in the pipe 5 having a minute opening therein so that while air can be supplied to cylinder. until therpressure therein equals that in cylinderbb yet the sudden outlet of air from1 cylinder 5 caused by the opening of valve 4e will not disturb the air pressure in cylinder 5b in such a manner or cause any such release of air from the air brake apparatus as might affect the proper working thereof.Y

The mail dischjarger is preferably detachn ably attachable to either shaft 3; the diS- charger is shown as composed of a frame having a lower member 6 and an upper member 6a connected with the member 6 at.

its forward end, and a brace member 6b connecting members 6, 6, and a pouch receiver or holder 6c, attached to the outer end of member 6. The free end of member 6a may be'hooked, as shown at 6e, Fig. 7, so that it can be detachably, engaged-with shaft 3, and may be supported thereon by a collar 3i attached t0 said shaft. The adjacent end of member 6 is bifurcated, as shown at (if (Fig. 8) and is adapted to engage a diametrically disposed ribv 3f on the upper face of the bearing block 321 at the lower end of the shaft 3, and when engaged therewith may be secured: by a boltfg so as to detachably fasten it in place; and it may be held down on the bearing 3 by a collar 3l, adjustably attached to the shaft 3. By removing bolt 6g and raising collar 3l the discharger can be raised and4 disengaged from the. shaft 3, and can be rengaged therewith Awhen desired. The discharger 6c lmay be pivoted on the member 6 as described lin my aforesaid patent, so that it can be turned to face in either direction.A v

The latch 2 is. preferably automatically tripped when it is desired to.l release the door by suitable means, operated if desired from the outside of the car. .As shownin the drawings to the rear end of the latch 2 is connected a spring 2C to which are attached chains 2d respectively attached to theends of an arm 2e secured to the upper end of aY tubular member 2f pivotedat 2g Von a Yplate attached to the bottom of the car andfde? pending through a slot in the car bottoinas indicated in Fig. l. Through this member 2f depends a rod Q provided with a handle 2i on its upper end by which'it can be raised, if it is not desired to have the tripping mechanism operate; when it is desired to have the tripping mechanism operate rod 2h is lowered to the position shown in Fig. l. The lower end of this rod is thus adapted to contact with a suitable stop attached to the rail or track adjacent the point where it is desired to have mail discharged. This trip may be a pivoted plate 2m upheld in normal position by springs 2n see Fig. 1, or it may be a segmental shaped plate 2 attached to the sleepers as indicated in Fig. l. The invention is not restricted to any particular member on the track for engaging the trip 2h; but when the rod 2h is in lowered position as indicated in Fig. l and the car is moving in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1 if the trip 2h engages trip 20, or trip 2, the lever 2f will be rocked on its pivot 2g and this rocking of the lever will rock head 2e and cause one of the chains 2d to pull latch 2 down and release the door la whereupon the door opera-ting devices will open the door and the mail will be discharged as hereinafter explained. l

The mail catcher 7 is of the general ordinary type and is slidably mounted on a bar 7n; the sleeve portion 7b of the catcher, by which it is mounted on rod 7a, is provided with a lateral tubular projection 7c through which passes a rod 7d which is adapted to project through an opening in the sleeve 7b and across the bight of the catcher as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 9. The rod 7d is normally held in retracted position by means of a plate 8, which is slidably mounted on the sleeve 7b but is provided with an opening 8a which may be brought into register with the'end of the rod 7d by sliding the plate 8. When the opening 8a comes into register with rod 7d the latter will be projected by means of springs 7"'. Then the catcher is to be placed in position to engage the mail sack, in the ordinary manner, the rod 7d is retracted and slide 8 adjusted so as to hold it in retracted position. The slide 8 however is provided with a finger 8b which projects into the bight of the catcher and is adapted to be struck by the bag of mail, when the latter is caught7 and moved thereby so as to bring opening 8a into register with rod 7d whereupon spring 7c projects rod "id across the bight of the catcher and holds the bag in the catcher until it is removed by the mail clerk.

The catcher may be held in position to engage and take a mail sack in any suitable manner. As shown a member 9 can be engaged with an eye 7 on the catcher and with a suitable retainer on the car as indicated in Fig. 5. This spring tends to turn the catcher on rod 7a, into sack-taking posi,

tion; and when the door is open'the catcher may be arrested in sack-taking position by a chain 9a attached to the projection 7@ and to a suitable retainer on the car above the catcher as indicated in Fig. 5. The door may be provided with a metal strip to protect it from abrasion by contact with the handle or end 7 of rod 7C, if desired as in Fig. 5. The cylinder 4 may be suspended within the car, above the door, in any suitable Inanner, as by means of brackets @Tf as indicated in the drawings.

Operation.

When it is desired to catch a sack or mail the catcher is set in the usual manner but the rod 7d is retracted and the slide 8 projected so as to hold this rod in retracted position as above described. If it is desired to discharge mail the discharger frame is attached to the proper shaft 3 according to the direction in which the car is moving and if the car be moving to the left the discharger should be attached to the right hand shaft 3 as indicated in Fig. l, the mail discharger being in about the position indicated in Fig. 6 or substantially at right angles to the car door, which is closed. The mail sack, or mail to be discharged, is placed in the holder 6c; then the trip 2h is ad justed when the car nears the point of discharge and when the trip 2h is engaged by the device on the track so as to rock lever 2" the catch 2 is caused to disengage the door and the latter is thrown open and thereby through catch 1g engages valve lever 4g and opens valve 4e as the door opens. This immediately admits compressed air into the cylinder 4E (valves 4d having been previously adjusted by hand so that air is admitted for example int-o the left hand end of the cylinder) and consequently the piston 4 is moved to the left or in the direction in which the car moves which turns shafts 3 to the right or clockwise, and thus swings the discharger rapidly around clockwise so that it projects out of the car door opening and discharges the mail rearwardly? or in a direction opposite to that in which the car is moving; the outward swinging movement of the discharger may be arrested when the discharger is approximately at right angles to the car body by any suitable means. As shown the discharger is provided with a bumper 6 which is adapted to engage the side of the car jamb or a suitably located stop and arrest the discharger at the proper time. The discharger is operated rapidly7 and the mail will be discharged rearwardly with sufficient momentum to largely, if not en* tirely, off-set its forward movement with the car; and thus the mail is not as liable to be injured as it would be if the mail was G charger, an air cylinder, a piston therein,

thrown out at right angles to the car. If the car is moving in the opposite direction (to the right) the discharger can be easily attached to the left hand shaft 3 and the valves 4d turned so that air will b e admitted into the proper end of the cylinder lto rotate the discharger in the desired direction. The shafts 3 and their connectionsv are preferably duplicated at both sides of the door, and at both sides of the car, but the detachable and attachable discharger may be used ip vconnection with any of such shafts.

What I claim is:

l. In combination with a car having a door, a mail discharger, and means for operating said discharger including a cylinder, means for supplying air to said cylinder, a valve for controlling the admission of air to said cylinder and means on the car door for automatically opening said valve when the door opens.

2. In combination a mail discharger, and means for operating said dischargcr including an air cylinder means for supplying air to said cylinder, a valve for controlling the admission of air to said cylinder and devices for operating said valve upon the opening of the car door, with a catch for holding said door normally in closed position, and tripping mechanism for releasing saidy catch. Y

3. In mail discharging apparatus, the combination of a rotatable shaft, a discharger, an air cylinder, a piston therein, means connected with said piston for turning said shaft, and a valve for controlling the admission of air to and from said cylinder, with a catch on the car door, a valve lever adapted. to be engaged by saidcatch to open the valve when the door opens; means for normally holding the door in closed position, and means for openingthe door when disengaged by the catch.

4. In mail discharging apparatus, the combination of a rotatable shaft, a discharger, an air cylinder, a piston therein, means connected with said piston for turning said shaft and a valve for controlling the admission of air to and from said cylinder, with a catch on the car door, a valve lever adapted to be engaged by Said catch to open the valve when the door opens; means for normally holding the door in closed position, and means for opening'the door whenl disengaged by the catch, trip devices for disengaging the catch, and a relatively fixed device on the track adapted to actuate the trip devices.

5. In mail discharging apparatus, the combination of a rotatable shaft, a dismeans connected with said piston for tur-ning said shaft, means for supplying compressed air to said cylinder, a valve for controlling the admission of air to andv from said cylinder, a lever for operating said valve, a catch on the car door adapted to engage said lever and open the valve when the door opens, means for normally holding the door in closed position, means for opening the door, trip devices for disengaging the catch, and a relatively fixed device on the track adapted to actuate the trip devices.

G. Ina mail discharging apparatus, the combination of a pair of tubular shaftsat opposite sides of a door opening, a discharger detachably attachable lto either shaft, an air cylinder, a piston thereon, and connections between said cylinder and said' shafts for rotating the latter;` pipes connecting said cylinder with a compressed air supply; and a controlling valve for regulating the admission of air to said cylinder, and a trip 0n the car door adapted to actuate the valvel when the door opens.

7. In mail discharging apparatus, the

combination of tubular shafts at opposite sides of a car door opening, a discharger operable by either of said shafts, an air cylinder, a piston thereon, and connections between said cylinder and said shaft for rotating the latter; pipes connecting said cylinder with a compressed air supply, and a valve for controlling the admission of air to said cylinder, a trip on the car door adapted to actuate said valves when the door opens, a catch for normally holding the door closed, and trip devices for disengaging the catch from the door, and means for throwing open the door when released.

8. In a mail discharging apparatus, the combination of a. pair of tubularshafts at opposite sides of a door opening, a discharger detachably attachableto either shaft, an air cylinder, a piston thereon, and

connections between said cylinder andY said shafts for rotating the latter; pipes connecting said cylinder with a compressed' air supply; and a `controlling valve for regulating the admission` of air to said cylinder, and a trip on the car door adapted to actuate the valve when the door opens, a catch for normally holding the door closed, means for throwing open the door when released, tripy devices for disengagingthe catch from the door, and a stationary device beside the track adapted to operateithe trip devices.

9. A mail discharging apparatus. comprising a rotatable vertically disposed shaft located within the car and beside the car door opening; a fdischarger. mounted loo upon said shaft vand adapted to be swung 10. A mail discharging apparatus comprising a pair oi3 rotatable vertically disposed shafts located at opposite sides of the oar door and Within the car, a discharger 'attachable to either shaft, an air cylinder above the ear door, a piston in said cylinder, means actua-ted by the said piston for turning said shaft, means for supplying air to said cylinder, a valve for controlling the admission of air to said cylinder, and means for controlling said valve and means to prevent the operation of the discharger When the door is closed.

In testimony that l claim the foregoing as my own, I my signature.

JAMES B. CARY.

(Jaimes of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

